Frank Spotnitz
Chief Executive Officer
Frank is an award-winning writer and producer with over 25 years’ experience in television. Since founding Big Light in 2013, Frank has created and executive produced series including the Emmy award-winning The Man in the High Castle, Medici: The Magnificent, Medici: Masters of Florence, Ransom and The Indian Detective. His many previous credits include Millennium, The Lone Gunmen, Night Stalker, Hunted and Strike Back: Project Dawn. Frank was a writer and Executive Producer of The X-Files television series and both feature films. He shares three Golden Globes for Best Dramatic Series and a Peabody Award for his work on The X-Files, and was Emmy-nominated both for writing and for Outstanding Drama Series. Frank divides his time between Big Light’s London and Paris offices.
Emily Feller
Creative Director
With nearly 20 years experience in scripted content, Emily worked her way up through scripts, researching, script editing and producing. Before joining Big Light she worked on British television shows such as Holby City, Emmerdale, Scott and Bailey, Last Tango In Halifax, Ordinary Lies, Banana and Trust Me.
Emily joined Big Light as Executive Producer in July 2017 and became Creative Director a year later. She has experience overseeing multi-million pound budgets, filming across Europe as well as pitching around the world. Emily oversees all of our new development, as well as our productions.
Chris Sutherland
Chief Operating Officer
Chris Sutherland joined Big Light Productions in September 2020 as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company’s operations, strategic partnerships, and project financing.
Chris has 20 years’ production experience with a deep understanding of the global TV and entertainment industries. Prior to Big Light, Chris was Commercial Investment Director at The Ingenious Group, where he led the TV division which backed dramas including White House Farm (ITV), Britannia (Sky), Beecham House (ITV), Black Summer (Netflix) and Marcella (ITV). Before that, he spent 5 years at Motion Content Group rising to become Head of Programmes and Production, overseeing the UK’s content investment strategy and production management across a portfolio of content including Love Island (ITV), The Circle (C4/Netflix) and Wild Things (Sky). Chris has also held senior production roles at Zodiak Media Group, the BBC and Fremantle, where a two-year stint managing Grand Designs resulted in him developing an unhealthy obsession with architectural floorplans.
Adrian Banyard
Development Producer
Adrian has more than 20 years’ experience as a Script Executive, Development Producer and Script Editor. He’s previously worked for indies such as STV Productions, Ecosse Films, Company Pictures and Zeppotron. Credits include The Victim, starring Kelly MacDonald and John Hannah, the first season of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, The Poison Tree, Wild At Heart, Mistresses, Cape Wrath, In Deep, Peak Practice and three seasons of Monarch Of The Glen.
Avi Quijada
Digital Content Producer
Avi is an LA-based Writer-Producer. A Venezuelan native, she graduated from the School of Social Communications UCAB Caracas and holds a Masters in Producing from the American Film Institute. Avi has worked on TV and film productions in Venezuela, Panama, Europe, the US and Canada for Canal Uno/Unolink, HBO, SYFY/NBC Universal, Awesomeness TV, CBS and Global TV. She worked closely with 20th Century Fox and 1013 Productions in promoting The X-Files franchise. Her work has been recognised by the DGA and Tribeca. Avi is currently on the Producing Faculty at the AFI Conservatory.
Joe Griffith
Development Editor
Joe began his career in television as a script-reader at LA Productions in Liverpool, before working in development for Hurricane Films. He graduated with an MA in Screenwriting from The University of Manchester, which led to his own writing being shortlisted for Channel 4’s Northern Writer’s Award (2018) and Page to Stage (2019). Joe then worked in development and production for Warp Films and 42mp, before returning north as a script reader for Lime Pictures, Duck Soup Films, and Hurricane Films; and as a story/writers’ room assistant on the latest series of Cold Feet (Series 9) for ITV and Big Talk North.
Claire Hookway
Development Editor
Prior to joining Big Light, Claire was Assistant Script Editor on World On Fire for BBC One, Bulletproof (Season 2) for Sky One, and most recently, The Bay (Season 2) for ITV. Claire began her career on the 2015 BBC Production Apprenticeship scheme, where she was placed in the BBC’s Live Events department and gained production and research experience on a variety of ceremonial and special event programmes. Following this, Claire joined the BBC Drama London team as a Production Management Assistant, before moving into continuing drama. She was a Script Coordinator on EastEnders and a Script Researcher on Holby City.
Zerana Patel
Management Accountant
Zerana is responsible for the day-to-day accounting and finances of the company. Prior to Big Light, Zerana gained valuable experience from McLaren Racing, where she was involved in transactional accounting in the Race Team. Following that, Zerana worked at Grant Thornton, with chief responsibility for debtors’ management in Europe, Africa and CIS countries. Zerana holds a degree in Nutrition from Kings College London.
Jayanna Watts
EA to the CEO & Creative Director
Before joining Big Light in 2020, Jayanna had worked as an Executive Assistant & PA supporting executives in and out of the entertainment and television industry for almost 5 years. Prior to this, she was Personal Assistant at ABC Studios International, involved in assisting on productions including Harrow (S2) starring Ioan Gruffudd & The Gloaming (S1). In 2018, she was Executive Assistant & Production Coordinator for HENI Talks, a digital platform dedicated to promoting art through short form documentary films, wherein she oversaw production schedules and balancing budgets for multiple projects.